The 10 best outfits from 'Rupaul's Drag Race'

I do not care about fashion. My go-to outfit is a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I have never thought about whether or not my shoes go with the rest of what I’m wearing, and I’ve had the same haircut since the ’90s. It’s just not a big part of my life.

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But I do care about the fashion on Rupaul’s Drag Race, quite possibly the best reality show of all time. Fashion isn’t the focus of Drag Race — mostly, contestants get by on personality and talent — but each of them stomp down the runway in a new outfit toward the end of every episode, and over the years, their creativity and enthusiasm have actually gotten me to give a damn about what they wear. I credit this show with shifting my opinion of fashion, by which I mean it gave me one. Fashion still isn’t a big part of my life, but Drag Race taught me that it can be fun.

To honor it, let’s take a look at some of the most memorable getups featured on the show throughout its eight seasons on the air.

10. April Carrion’s April Showers look

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Camp is a big part of the show, and this look from April Carrion during season 6 is a great example of how to do it right. The umbrella is the focal point here, but it doesn’t steal the show — the bright poncho colors on the rest of her outfit fit right in.

But it all comes back to that umbrella. Don’t you just wanna take it and walk around in the sun to confuse people?

9. Tyra Sanchez’s three-in-one look

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Tyra Sanchez is the least beloved winner of the show, but you can’t say she didn’t make an impression. Her finest moment came near the beginning of her run on season 2, when she walked onto the runway and wore a piece of fabric first as a skirt, then as an accessory, and finally as a mantle, effectively making three outfits out of one. The girl’s got tricks up her sleeves.

8. Raven’s season 2 finale look

Image Credit: WOW Presents/Screengrab

Raven always polished her looks to a shine, and her final outfit from season 2 was her best. It’s the epitome of drag queen as live mannequin — she’s here to be a showcase for this piece, a slick black number strategically bunched in all the right places. It’s a precise look that’s heavy on geometry.

7. Courtney Act’s Klaus Nomi look

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One of the many reasons that Drag Race is a great show is because the contestants pull references out of absolutely nowhere. Where else would you see an outfit modeled after ’70s countertenor/pop-star Klaus Nomi? It’s not happening on America’s Next Top Model … I assume.

This outfit is also a great example of how to mix male and female aesthetics. The makeup and the shape are female, but the tux is, well, a tux. Well played, Courtney Act.

6. Chi Chi DeVayne’s paper couture

Image Credit: WOW Presents/Screengrab

Chi Chi Duvayne made this gown out of paper. I have no idea what she did, exactly. How’d she get the paper on the bodice to lie flat while the skirt flays out like that? How many paper cuts were involved? Contestants on this show are seriously creative, and with this getup, Chi Chi came from behind to take her spot among the best.

Chi Chi’s gown was made out of paper. This one was made out of wallpaper. I think clothing crafted from alternative material is impressive — I can’t help it. Lineysha took things to the next level by sticking a pump in her hair, adding some camp flair.

4. Raja’s rococo look

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If you’re like me, this look brings to mind Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous concurring opinion in Jacobellis v. Ohio, in which he neglected to provide a definition for “hardcore pornography” but said that “I know it when I see it.”

I couldn’t tell you exactly why this outfit is fashionable and cool, but I know it is. Maybe it’s the nerve behind combining a reference to 18th-century French nobility with an ’80s-bad-girl attitude. And also pants. Or maybe it’s the striking paint job on the face. Or maybe it’s better not knowing why, and just enjoying the feeling that something like this could walk onto the runway at any moment.

3. Detox’s black-and-white look

Image Credit: WOW Presents/Screengrab

Detox wore this look during the season 5 finale, not during the season itself, but that shouldn’t take away from its power. She looks like she wandered out of an old black-and-white movie — playing a vicious vamp, no doubt — and into the real world. It’s a simple idea executed perfectly.

2. Sharon Needles’ post-apocalyptic look

Image Credit: LogoTV/Screengrab

Sharon Needles taught the viewing public something very important about drag: Looking awesome and looking pretty are not necessarily the same thing. Her ghoulish aesthetic flew in the face of the traditional standards of beauty that had ruled Rupaul’s Drag Race prior to her run on season 4, and the show was never quite the same again.

This look, which she debuted in the season 4 premiere, was her most striking. Something particularly cool is despite how horrific it is, the shape and attitude are still very “supermodel.” The contrast is funny and shocking — this look proved that an outfit could challenge as well as entertain people.

1. Violet Chachki’s season 8 finale gown

Image Credit: WOW Presents/Screengrab

I mean … good lord, just look at it. Season 7 champ Violet Chachki wore this to pass the crown onto the winner of season 8, but she stole the show that night. The detailing is ridiculous, from the hood/cape combo to the blue veins running across her chest to the crown that appears fused to her head. From time to time, contestants on the show will call drag an art. This outfit should be their Exhibit A.

The outfit takes full advantage of Violet’s tiny waist — the way it cuts in close and then explodes outward makes for a fascinating silhouette. Then there’s the jewelry around the neck, and the pattern, and the gorgeous deep green color … fans could ogle this outfit all day and not uncover all the details. It’s an easy pick for the top spot.

Dan Selcke is an editor at FanSided editor and editor-in-chief at WinterIsComing.net.

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons